Joseph H. Frantz Question

[a guest]

At one time the Frantz was the flagship for the company and had the extra level of deckhouse for guests. By the time of conversion it had already lost status of flagship and the newer boats were handling guests. Being converted to a self-unloader put the Frantz into a role being utilitarian, shorter runs for the most part, ports spread around more as opposed to the more dedicated longer runs it had which the newer and bigger boats took over, runs that were a better fit to have guests on.

[Guest]

Was it done perhaps to help compensate for the added weight of the self-unloading system to maximize cargo capacity?

I imagine it wouldn't help much for coal (She probably would bulk out before she ever grossed out), but for something dense and heavy like stone or iron ore, I would think any weight savings would help to slightly increase the amount that she could carry.

[William Lafferty]

The Joseph H. Frantz arrived at the Christy Corporation yard at Sturgeon Bay on 22 October 1964 towed from Superior by Roen's John Purves for the installation of new crew quarters fore and aft, stern anchor and windlass, a CP propeller, KaMeWa bow thruster, and funnel, in addition to an automated self-unloading system using a belt rather than bucket elevator, explaining its unusual silhouette, and Dieselization. It arrived with its three tier pilothouse intact. A particularly cold winter and the accidental drop by a gantry crane of its innovative "king post" boom control on 12 June 1965 contributed to delays in its completion. Its pilothouse was lowered 8 feet in January. The yard held successful dock trials 8 July 1965 but sea trials 9 July 1965 revealed problems with the CP prop and the fuel injectors of its Enterprise DMRV-12-4 Diesel. This was all sorted out and the vessel left Sturgeon Bay 21 July 1965 with Captain Earnest McSorley in command to begin its shuttle service between Rail-to-Water Transfer at Chicago to the Oak Creek generating plant south of Milwaukee. The vessel hosted a special open house for visitors at Jones Island at Milwaukee on 18 August 1965.

[Guest]

The Joseph H. Frantz had been built with a triple forward cabin. Before her conversion in 1964/65, she had been laid-up at Fraser Shipyard in Superior, WI since June 16, 1962 as a result of a downturn in the steel industry at that time. Sometime in 1964, she was towed (I presume) to Sturgeon Bay for conversion to a self-unloader.

And yes, when the deck below the pilothouse was removed, the original pilothouse was relocated to the new level. I don't know what the condition of the deckhouse was, but I don't think it was in any different condition then the other deck levels.

- Brian

[Guest]

I have seen some pictures of the Joseph H. Frantz when it had a triple deck forward cabin arrangement. Is that how the ship was originally built in 1924 or was the extra deck added later? It appears that the ship had its pilothouse lowered when converted to a self-unloader in 1955. I'm assuming that the original pilothouse was moved down one deck at this time and this was likely due to offset any additional topside weight gained by the unloading gear and boom. Is this the case? Or was the deckhouse in poor condition and that was why the one level was removed?